Harvard’s Bitcoin Bag Swells: Spot BTC ETF Holdings Climb 257% In Q3

Bitcoin has enjoyed attention as one of the most rewarding stores of value in recent years, with institutional adoption reaching new highs this year. One such landmark Bitcoin acquisition was made by Harvard University, arguably the world’s most prestigious academic institution.

Earlier in August, Harvard disclosed an investment portfolio containing $117 million worth of shares in BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) as of the end of Q2. According to its latest disclosure, the university’s BTC exposure nearly tripled over the last quarter.

BlackRock’s IBIT Becomes Harvard’s Largest Investment

In its latest 13F filing, Harvard University revealed that it held 6,813,612 shares of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) valued at approximately $443 million as of September 30. 

This additional acquisition highlights the institution’s expansive capital allocation strategy, which also saw its SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) holdings grow to 661,391 shares (worth approximately $235 million) in 2025 Q3.

Notably, Harvard’s current holding of the leading spot BTC ETF represents a 257% increase from the disclosed 1,906,000 shares declared as of June. As of now, BlackRock’s exchange-traded fund is the single largest investment of the university’s reported holdings.

While the current IBIT position makes only a small portion of Harvard’s endowment of $57 billion, it is significant enough to make the university the 16th-largest IBIT holder. As inferred earlier, stories of institutional adoption such as this further add credence to Bitcoin’s status as a strategic reserve asset and the growing demand for exchange-traded funds.

Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas wrote on X:

It’s super rare/difficult to get an endowment to bite on an ETF- esp a Harvard or Yale, it’s as good a validation as an ETF can get. That said, half a billion is a mere 1% of total endowment. Big enough to rank 16th among IBIT holders tho.

BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Records Its Largest Outflow Day

The US-based Bitcoin ETFs have suffered waning investor demand in recent weeks, with the past week particularly disappointing. According to the latest market data, the exchange-traded funds registered a total net outflow of $1.1 billion in the past week.

Leading these withdrawals was BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, which is currently on a three-day outflow streak. Data from SoSoValue shows that $463.1 million flowed out of the BTC ETF on Friday, November 14.

As of this writing, BlackRock’s IBIT still ranks as the largest spot Bitcoin ETF, with net assets worth roughly $74.98 billion.